B.C. Premier David Eby sent a message to the U.S. in the Legislature last week, and he used a product from a Vernon company to do so. 

Amid a trade war that has stemmed from U.S. President Donald Trump's use of across-the-board tariffs which are to come into full effect on April 2, Vernon-Lumby MLA Harwinder Sandhu shared a photo on her Facebook page of herself and Eby wearing T-shirts with the slogan "Not For Sale."

The shirts were created by Vernon retail company ANTLR Menswear. 

"Thanks to Amanda at ANTLR Menswear of Vernon, BC Premier David Eby and I are ready to stand up for Canada in style," Sandhu's post reads. "In the face of Trump's unjustified tariffs and trade war, our government is focused on growing a strong community, finding new trade partners, protecting our services and defending our workers."

The shirts were created by Amanda Homeniuk, the owner of ANTLR Menswear, to spread the message of supporting Canadian businesses amid the trade war. 

"I just wanted to be a part of the sentiment that's happening right now with the tariffs that have been imposed, and everybody feeling like they want to support Canadian businesses and support local," she told The Morning Star. "It was just sort of that being a proud Canadian feeling that I think everybody else is feeling as well right now."

Homeniuk used her background in graphic design to design the T-shirts, taking inspiration from a hat worn by freshly re-elected Ontario Premier Doug Ford that read "Canada is Not For Sale," which he wore in January in response to both Trump's tariff threats and his threats to make Canada the 51st State B次元官网网址� the latter a taunt he's reiterated on social media and in press conferences throughout the early days of his second term.

"I thought, right on, we're not for sale. You can't just come in here and lock us out economically," Homeniuk said of Ford's hat. 

The shirts are printed by another Vernon company, AMI Clothing, and they're flying off the racks. Launched on March 6, the shirts have been selling online and in the 30th Avenue store, and they've already had to reorder the black version of the shirt.

Homeniuk said her business is fortunate not to be directly affected by the tariffs because basically nothing in the store is manufactured in the U.S. 

"Our prices haven't gone up because we haven't been impacted by (tariffs)," she said. 

However, she says like any other Canadian business owner, her business could be affected when the tariffs put a chill on the Canadian economy and people have less money to spend on things like apparel. 

Homeniuk said her store has always emphasized Canadian brands first. She highlighted one brand in her store called ANI脕N, which is based in Victoria. 

"ANI脕N is one of our favourites because they're manufactured in B.C. and they actually use recycled textiles, so it's completely circular and it's completely made in Canada," she said. 

In addition to the shirts, ANTLR is selling stickers with slogans such as "Never 51, Forever One."

Canada's response to the tariffs has been heating up in recent days, which Sandhu highlighted in her post. 

"So far, we removed all American liquor brands from our shelves in public liquor stores and direct the BC LDB to stop buying American liquor. We also directed our Crown Corporations to buy goods and services from #canadafirst," her post reads. 

Next, Sandhu said legislation is being introduced to remove the trade barriers between provinces, mandate that low-carbon fuels added to gas and diesel be produced in Canada, and allow tolls and fees to be applied to U.S. commercial vehicles using Canadian infrastructure when travelling to Alaska. 

Homeniuk said she appreciated Sandhu's post and her efforts to support local businesses, and also appreciated Eby getting involved by donning a shirt. 

"I'm glad it fit. He's so tall," she said with a laugh.